Administrative Staff Retirees Association (ASRA)

Transcription

1 Administrative Staff Retirees Association (ASRA) Minutes of the 21 st Annual General Meeting of the Administrative Staff Retirees Association, held on May 9, 2018, in room A-509 of Hamelin Hall, 70 Laurier Avenue East, University of Ottawa 1. Call to order The meeting was called to order at 10:10 a.m. once quorum had been reached (38 members attending). ASRA president Hélène Boivin welcomed everyone present for the Association s 21st AGM. 2. Adoption of the agenda Moved by Lucie Mercier-Gauthier and seconded by Hélène Lavallée. The agenda was adopted unanimously without any amendments. 3. Adoption of the minutes from the 20th annual general meeting held on May 10, 2017 Moved by André Pierre Lepage and seconded by Pierrette Gouin. The minutes of the 2017 AGM were adopted unanimously without any amendments or corrections. 4. Welcome to ASRA s new retirees The president asked those having retired within the last year to stand and to introduce themselves to the rest of the membership. She then welcomed them officially as new retirees. 5. In memoriam To honour the memory of retirees having passed away in the last year, the assembly observed a moment of silence as André Pierre Lepage read each of their names aloud. Michel Prévost asked if the 15 deceased had been replaced by an equivalent number of new members. Claude Dufresne explained that individuals whose name appears on ASRA s website are indeed deceased retirees, but not necessarily ASRA members. Hélène Boivin added that ASRA has roughly 350 members out of the University s 850 retired administrative staff, meaning that about 40% of them pay member dues to ASRA. 6. President s report Hélène Boivin, ASRA president, began by thanking current Board members: Lyse Piché (social events), Suzanne Laporte (recruitment), Claire Cayen (new members advisor), Claude Dufresne (vice-president and representative on the Pension Plan Committee), André Pierre Lepage (secretary), Hélène Carrière and Michèle Viquerat (treasurers), as well as Lucie Mercier-Gauthier, who replaced Roger Chagnon since last fall (Roger Chagnon will continue as webmaster without sitting on the Board). She also thanked Lorène Kayser, who shared the position with Suzanne Laporte but had to resign at the end of 2017, and Lucie Cabeceiras (calls), who ll be stepping down at the end of her term. ASRA 2018 Annual General Meeting (page 1 of 6)

2 The president detailed ASRA s achievements in , specifically in these six areas: a) Proposal to have an additional representative on the Pension Plan Committee (PPC) Currently, ASRA and the APRUO each have only one representative on the Pension Plan Committee. The two associations asked that they both be allowed to have another member on the PPC. With that in mind, Claude Dufresne and ASRA president Hélène Boivin met with the chair of the PPC (Alain Jolicoeur) and with the presidents of each uottawa staff union. Both the Central Administration and the SSUO union opposed the extra retired member because it would lower their respective proportional representation on the PPC. ASRA and the APRUO now want to see if they can each send an observer to PPC meetings. At the time of writing, Hélène and Claude were to meet with Elvio Buono, associate vice-president for human resources, on May 17, 2018, to explore the most promising avenues toward this goal. b) Online payment of member dues and donations At the 2017 AGM, a member asked if dues could be paid online rather than by cheque or cash. The Board considered various options, such as PayPal, but all of them proved too expensive. However, the University s Development Office has offered us a viable alternative through its website. Hélène Boivin is working with Noëlla Beausoleil of the Development Office to allow retirees to pay both their ASRA dues and their donation to the administrative staff scholarship fund using the same link on the Development Office s website. The benefit is zero cost to ASRA. The hope was to have the new payment option available by the fall of c) Scholarship fund For a number of years now, ASRA president Hélène Boivin has stressed to the University that, after 25 years, it seems unfair to still charge only $2 for admission to the Founders Breakfast. Because this revenue goes to the Retired and Active Staff Scholarship fund, as do donations from retirees, Hélène has been working to have the admission price increased. The Development Office also supports an increase, as it could lead to the creation of a graduate studies scholarship. Human Resources now being in charge of the Founders Breakfast, Hélène met with Manon Dugal and Sylvie Ménard at HR to put forward the proposal. For 2018, they agreed to increase the ticket price to $3 and will consider bumping it up again next year, with the aim of gradually reaching $5. d) Preferred supplier of health, dental and travel insurance ASRA asked Human Resources to compare the rates and coverage of various insurance providers to determine which one might be the best to propose to retirees. Following its analysis, HR no longer recommends Manulife s CoverMe plan. Instead, it has suggested these two, which are open to both Ontario and Québec residents provided they ve worked in Ontario: RTIP = Retired Teachers Insurance Plan / RAER = Régime d assurance des enseignantes et des enseignants retraités: This plan combines the medical and travel insurance components while keeping ASRA 2018 Annual General Meeting (page 2 of 6)

3 dental coverage separate. RTIP appears to be the best option for individuals who travel a lot. MROO = Municipal Retirees Organization of Ontario: Dental insurance is included in the basic plan, whereas travel insurance is separate and limited. MROO appears to be the best choice for those who want dental coverage, but don t necessarily care about travel protection. ASRA asked HR to share these results with everyone concerned. e) University President s reception for retirees on May 3, 2018 As part of Alumni Week, retirees were invited to a reception with uottawa president Jacques Frémont on May 3, Along with meeting Mr. Frémont, attendees had the chance to mingle with retirees from both the academic and administrative staffs. The president spoke about the latest developments and major challenges at uottawa, and then fielded questions from guests. Noëlla Beausoleil hosted, organized and moderated this stimulating get-together. ASRA president Hélène Boivin asked that the reception become an annual event, so retirees will now be invited every year to a gathering during Alumni Week (first week of May), hosted either by the president or by the faculties. Hélène also encouraged everyone to take part year after year so that the University doesn t forget about its retirees. f) Healthcare credits Hélène Boivin reminded the assembly that, in January 2017, she and Claude Dufresne met with uottawa s president, its associate vice-president for human resources and its director of human resources, along with all uottawa unions, to stress the fact that retired administrative employees get only $96 a year in healthcare credits, whereas professors now qualify for $1,350 a year because their allowance is negotiated by the APUO. Given their affiliation with central labour bodies that prohibit negotiating on behalf of retirees, administrative staff unions can t represent retired staff, whereas the APUO is a standalone union that can do as it sees fit. The only other option is to call on the Central Administration s goodwill and sense of fairness. That s why the special guest at the 2018 AGM was Elvio Buono, associate vice-president for human resources, who last year promised to try to improve things within three years. It was also reported that ASRA s president and vice-president were to meet uottawa s president to discuss the matter on June 26, In closing, Ms. Boivin reminded everyone about the free outdoor parking privileges granted to retirees on weekends and statutory holidays. The free permits are now valid for two years, and retirees need simply go to 139 Louis-Pasteur and identify themselves as retired staff to get one. Michel Prévost put forward a motion calling for official thanks to be given to both the president and the entire ASRA Board for all of their efforts. Carried unanimously. ASRA 2018 Annual General Meeting (page 3 of 6)

4 7. Amendments to ASRA s constitution The president explained the relatively simple amendments proposed for Article 1 (Purposes) and for Article 4.3 (Duties of Board Members) of ASRA s constitution. Arlette Henry moved for the adoption of the changes, seconded by Joan Carey. Motion carried unanimously and amendments adopted as is. 8. Treasurers report: Presentation and approval of financial statements for the fiscal year ending on April 30, 2018 (a) Statement of income and expenses Hélène Carrière, ASRA co-treasurer, submitted the financial statements as of April 20, 2018, along with explanatory notes. She noted that member dues don t appear in the statement of income and expenses, but rather in the balance sheet. Hélène Carrière and Michèle Viquérat then submitted the income and expenses statements, as approved by auditor Jean-Marc Dubé, for the fiscal year. (b) budget forecast Hélène Carrière presented the budget forecast for the fiscal year, along with added information about the budget itself. It was moved by Hélène Lavallée and seconded by Mario Bouchard, that the budget forecast as audited by Jean-Marc Dubé be adopted. Motion carried unanimously. NOTE: The official version will be kept in ASRA s archives. 9. Elections to the Board of Directors Claire Cayen chaired the elections. The terms of three Board members came to an end in 2018: Claude Dufresne, André Pierre Lepage and Lucia Cabeceiras. Claire Cayen noted that Roger Chagnon s position had been filled temporarily by Lucie Mercier-Gauthier since Roger s withdrawal from the Board. Lucie Mercier Gauthier and Mario Bouchard put their names forward for the vacant positions on the Board, while Claude Dufresne and André Pierre Lepage confirmed they were willing to renew their terms of office. Claire Cayen then asked if anyone else wanted to be a candidate, but no one came forward. All four candidates were therefore elected by acclamation. A member asked for details about the roles and duties on the Board of Directors. President Hélène Boivin explained the role of each position and how duties are shared among Board members. Claude Dufresne noted that ASRA (which is considered a not-for-profit body, and not a charitable organization) is now incorporated, meaning that its Board members are now shielded from legal action in their respective capacities. Pierre-Yves Boucher supports this measure, but recommends that ASRA buy insurance to cover legal costs in case of a lawsuit. ASRA 2018 Annual General Meeting (page 4 of 6)

5 10. Report on uottawa s pension plan Claude Dufresne presented his report on the pension plan and on its financial situation. The report will be appended to these minutes and shared with ASRA members in the September Newsletter. Claude noted the efforts to increase ASRA s representation on the Pension Plan Committee and expressed the hope that the University will allow a second ASRA member to attend PPC meetings as an observer. Claude then explained the risk of converting from a defined-benefit plan to a defined-contribution plan, which is what some universities with poorer-performing funds than ours have done. A discussion followed on the merits and drawbacks of each option, with ASRA deciding to stand behind the University s existing pension-plan format. 11. Social activities report for Lyse Piché presented the list of social events held by ASRA in From September through April, the Association held monthly gatherings, with a focus on breakfasts in the fall and on lunches in the winter. Lyse also announced that a visit to historic Almonte with Michel Prévost was in the works for October Finally, she reminded everyone about the importance of complying with activity registration deadlines. 12. Recipients of administrative staff scholarships Diane Pelletier, who worked as an advisor at Financial Aid and Awards, continues to represent ASRA on the Scholarship Selection Committee. As in past years, ASRA awarded $2,000 scholarships to three students whose volunteer work and community involvement proved exceptional. Diane Pelletier and Claire Cayen chose the three best applications among the almost 200 received. The final selection followed the assessment of the 70 applications retained on the basis of academic achievement, bilingualism, year of studies and, especially, university and community engagement. 13. Special guest: Elvio Buono, associate vice-president, Human Resources Mr. Buono gave an overview of the discussions surrounding the addition of an observer to uottawa s Pension Plan Committee for both retired faculty and retired administrative staff. He emphasized that the University wants to maintain its representation on the PPC at one third of the voting members. As for healthcare credits, he briefed us on his meeting with ASRA president Hélène Boivin and said he was open to try and correct the inequality between credits for active staff and for retirees. Specifically, he mentioned that the University might gradually increase healthcare credits for retirees to the same amount now given to active staff, that is, $282 a year. That said, he was unable to confirm anything for the moment, because he first had to consider cost analyses from both Mercer and Financial Services, based on how many active employees would be retiring in the short and long terms. ASRA 2018 Annual General Meeting (page 5 of 6)

6 He added that, in his estimation, retirees with fewer than 10 years of service should also qualify for health credits, because that s how it works for retired faculty members. However, he thought it unlikely that anyone having retired before May 1, 2002, would be granted the same benefits. In closing, Mr. Buono said he d like to meet with ASRA s members every year. His presentation was very well received by those present. 14. Distribution of parking vouchers Vouchers were handed out to participants having parked in the Brooks Residence garage. 15. The meeting ended at 12:15, with participants then invited to partake in a lunch. Hélène Boivin, president, ASRA Suzanne Laporte, advisor, ASRA ASRA 2018 Annual General Meeting (page 6 of 6)